Two Bronx schools are history due to poor report card

(12/05/07) TREMONT ? They didn?t make the grade, and now two Bronx public schools will close their doors or get phased out due to poor performance.

P.S. 79 and I.S. 216 are among six in the city set to close after scoring poorly on progress reports released by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein.

The school report shows just 43.4 percent of students at P.S. 79 are proficient in English, and 61.2 percent in math. I.S. 216 received an overall grade of ?D.?

One parent with students at P.S. 79 says the education his children are receiving doesn?t appear sufficient.

?Their English is not good, I have to teach them after school in the house,? says Michael Dzivor.

The United Federation of Teachers issued a statement criticizing the closures. ?These closings represent a major upheaval for all involved,? the statement says. ??it is important that every effort is made to ensure that everyone affected is treated with care, dignity and respect.?

Some parents are blaming the failures on the principals. Others are just trying to process the loss of the schools.